GEM definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

pearl, prize, amber, amulet, diamond, facet, jewel, ruby, stone, turquoise, bauble, glass

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GEM - 10 dictionary results

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gem

[

jem]

noun, verb, gemmed, gem⋅ming, adjective

–noun

1.	a cut and polished precious stone or pearl fine enough for use in jewelry.

2.	something likened to or prized as such a stone because of its beauty or worth: His painting was the gem of the collection.

3.	a person held in great esteem or affection.

4.	muffin (def. 1).

5.	British Printing. a 4-point type of a size between brilliant and diamond.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to adorn with or as with gems; begem.

–adjective

7.	Jewelry. noting perfection or very high quality: gem color; a gem ruby.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME gemme < OF < L gemma bud, jewel; r. ME yimme, OE gim(m) < L

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : GEM

Spanish:

gema, piedra preciosa,

German:

der Edelstein,

Japanese:

宝石

View 30 other languages »

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gem (jěm) Pronunciation Key
n.

A pearl or mineral that has been cut and polished for use as an ornament.
1. Something that is valued for its beauty or perfection: a little gem of a book.
2. A beloved or highly prized person.
A type of muffin.

tr.v. gemmed, gem·ming, gems
To adorn with or as if with precious or semiprecious stones.

[Middle English gemme, from Old French, from Latin gemma; see gembh- in Indo-European roots.]

GEM
abbr. ground-effect machine

ground-ef·fect machine (ground'ĭ-fěkt')
n. Abbr. GEM
See air-cushion vehicle.

[From ground effect, a peculiarity of certain aircraft when landing, in which a cushion of air directed off the wings prevents touchdown.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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gem

O.E. gim, from L. gemma "precious stone, jewel," originally "bud," from the root *gen- "to produce" (see genus).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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gem
noun
1.	art highly prized for its beauty or perfection
2.	a crystalline rock that can be cut and polished for jewelry; "he had the gem set in a ring for his wife"; "she had jewels made of all the rarest stones"
3.	a person who is as brilliant and precious as a piece of jewelry [syn: jewel]
4.	a sweet quick bread baked in a cup-shaped pan [syn: muffin]
5.	a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry [syn: jewel]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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GEM operating system
One of the first commercially available GUIs. Borrowing heavily from the Macintosh WIMP-style interface it was available for both the IBM compatible market (being packaged with Amstrad's original PC series) and more successfully for the Atari ST range. The PC version was produced by Digital Research (more famous for DR-DOS, their MS-DOS clone), and was not developed very far. The Atari version, however, continued to be developed until the early 1990s and the later versions supported 24-bit colour modes, full colour icons and a nice looking sculpted 3D interface.
(1997-01-10)

Gem

Gem\, n. [OE. gemme precious stone, F. gemme, fr. L. gemma a precious stone, bud.]

1. (Bot.) A bud.

From the joints of thy prolific stem A swelling knot is raised called a gem. --Denham.

2. A precious stone of any kind, as the ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, beryl, spinel, etc., especially when cut and polished for ornament; a jewel. --Milton.

3. Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, as a small picture, a verse of poetry, a witty or wise saying.

Artificial gem, an imitation of a gem, made of glass colored with metallic oxide. Cf. Paste, and Strass.

Gem

Gem\ v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gemmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Gemming]

1. To put forth in the form of buds. "Gemmed their blossoms." [R.] --Milton.

2. To adorn with gems or precious stones.

3. To embellish or adorn, as with gems; as, a foliage gemmed with dewdrops.

England is . . . gemmed with castles and palaces. --W. Irving.

GEM